CBS 5 "Investigation" Into Medical Marijuana Includes a Made-Up Statistic

CBS 5 -- the local news station that claims to be "telling it like it is" -- prominently displayed a made-up statistic during its recent anti-medical marijuana propaganda piece "investigation."

In the report, in which "investigative reporter" Morgan Loew told the state health department it was true that he had severe and chronic pain, but then claimed he didn't -- yet also claimed he didn't lie about it as he obtained a medical-marijuana card for the story -- Loew also falsely claimed that 90 percent of cardholders got certified just for "severe and chronic pain."

"Ninety percent of the certifications are for severe and chronic pain," Loew says, while the graphic above was displayed. "Not cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, ALS, or any of the other specific illnesses that qualify someone for medical marijuana."

That's false, according to the statistics from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Just 71.57 percent of people in the state's medical-marijuana program cited chronic pain as their only debilitating condition.

A little less than 20 percent of cardholders have two conditions, which means they do have cancer, or AIDS, or glaucoma, ALS, Crohn's disease, severe muscle spasms, Hepatitis C, Alzheimer's, or any other debilitating disease -- and it's painful.

Then there's Morgan Loew, who, after consulting a chiropractor, went to a doctor, complaining about back pain he's had for months. The pain was "distracting," he said. He couldn't tell the doctor whether the pain made it difficult for him to concentrate on things but admitted that it limits his ability to run.

Reporter Morgan Loew, telling it like it isn't.

After getting the medical-marijuana card, which he asked about, he then acted like the doctor was nuts for giving him the green light on a medical-marijuana recommendation.

There were also other statistics that Loew used to claim that "young, healthy" people were getting medical marijuana.

"There are more 18- to 30-year-olds with medical marijuana cards than in any other age group," he says.

He didn't tell his viewers that the other age groups are 10-year ranges, not 13 years. Believe it or not, folks, there are more people out there between the ages of 18 and 30 than there are between 31 and 40.

The obfuscation grows when he claims that "nearly half" of cardholders are under 40. So, clearly more than half of cardholders are older than 40.